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J. W. WILLIAMS AND C. A. PARKER AUTOMATIC ELECTRICALLY CONTROLLED RAILWAY TRAIN STOPPlNG SYSTEM. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 29, 191B.

1,3233% Patented Dec. 2,1919.

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JAMES W. WILLIAMS, OF SPOKANE, WASI-LINGTON, AND CHARLES A, PAR-KER, OF

- HAUGAN, MONTANA. I i

- AUTOMATIC ELEC'IBICALLYQGNTROLLEL- RAILWAY-TBAIN-STOPPING SYSTEMQ Specification of Letters Yatent.

Patented Dec. 2, 1919.

Application filed October 29, 1918., Serial No. 260,096.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JAMES W. WILLIAMS, of Spokane, in the county of Spokane and State ofWashington, and CHARLES A. PAR- KER, of Haugan, in the county of Mineral and State of Montana, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Automatic ElectricallyControlled Railway- Train-Stopping Systems, of which the following is a specification. 7

The system in which our invention is comprised is one in which the train-brake-valve operating devices are controlled from a track or signal battery, through the intermediary of devices called into action when the train is entering ablock under abnormal or dangerous conditions; and it consists in certain improvements for this purpose which will first be described in connection with the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, and will then be more particularly pointed out in the'claims. v V

The drawing is a" diagrammatic illustration of our invention. r j

1 is the locomotive and 2 is the track on which it runs. The latter is supposed to be divided into insulated blocks as customary, with a signal post S and usual signal appliances such as the semaphore arm, etc, at or near the entrance to each block. At this point also are located along side the track a ramp rail 5, and a contact rail 6. On the locomotive is a contact shoe 7 mounted thereon so as to be capable of vertical movement with reference thereto, and adapted, in

passing thecontact rail and the ramp rail, to make contact'with the former and. to ride over the latter, the shoe being pressed by weight, or equivalent yielding pressure,"to occupy normally its low position. The-up and down movements thus imparted to the shoe are utilized to operate a cock 14; on a from the main compressed air reservoir R on the locomotive. For this purpose the shoe is connected'to the handle 13 on the cock by suitable intermediaries;

typified by the vertical connecting'rod 12. 3 is the track or signal battery; one of its terminals 8 is connected to the track, and the other 9 to the contact rail 6, this portion of the circuit being completed through a pair of contacts 4 having connections whereby they remain open so long as the signal is V at danger, but are. caused to close and remain closed whenever and'so long as the signal is at safety, as indicated diagrammatically in the drawings wherein one of the contacts 4 is conventionally represented as carried by the hub of thesemaphore arm in position to beclosed upon the othercontact only when the semaphore arm is at safety as shown.

The circuit connections lead from the 8 side of battery 3 through the track and 1000- motive wheel, through wire 10, through spool of electro-magnet N, through wire 11 to and through red 12 and shoe 7 thence to contact rail 6, and thence through wire 9 and contacts 4: back to battery. V

Under this arrangement whenever and so long as the circuit just traced is interrupted, the electro-magnetNlocated on the locomotive and included in thatcircuit will be inactive.

The pipe 15 leads from the main reservoir R into a chamber 16, containing a suitable valve 'in this instancea soft iron ball valve 17-below'the core a of'the electro-magnet N. 'This core is tubular as shownand its open lower end isarmed with aport 18 adapted to be closed ,by-the ball valve 17, p

when the latter is attracted by the core of the electro-magnet. The port should be provided with a non-magnetic bushing. to prevent the direct contact of the ball valve with the core, and the consequent temporary 1 sticking of the valve to the core after the magnet ceases to be energized.

The tubular core n serves as a conduit for the air led through the pipe 15 into the chamber 16, and at its upper end it is connected to a pipe 19 which leads into the top of a cylinder 20 above a vertically reciprocable piston 21 contained in said cylinder.

The piston rod 22 of said piston projects through the lower head of the cylinder 20 and is suitably jointed to the handle 23 of a "controlling valve 24 in a pipe 25 leading from themain reservoir y In the position of the parts shown inthe drawing the valve 24is closed. If, at the timethe shoe on the engine islifted by the ramp rail with consequent opening of the cock 14 on branch pipe 15, the working circuit including the at the junction of the bypass pipe 38 with the train pipe 70. Under this arrangement the engineer through his regular .brake valve P, by way of the bypass '38, quickly reduces the train pipe pressure to the desired point, the valve 39 rising tof permit free communication between the by-pass and train pipe; hen the engineer is operating the train andhandling the air through port 31 the pressure in the train pipe will be on valve 39 from above, thus holding it in position to closethe by-pass38.

In connection with the train stopping sys:

tem hereinbefore described We make use 0t an electrical signal system installed on the locomotive and intended to indicate'to'the engineer the track signal conditions, as well as the condition of the train stopplng system.

To this end we place in some convenient place, preferably the engine cab where they r can be seen by the engineer, two electric tem.

G, completed through a pair of normally open contacts a; and r is the circuit including the red light R, completed through a pair of normally open contacts '6. The contacts in the safety circuit 9 are controlled by the stem 39 of a normally spring-lifted piston e0 contained in'a cylinder 41 located beneath the ball valve chamber 16, and comniunicating therewith through apassage 4C2 closed by the ball valve 17 when in its low position as shown in the drawing. A small opening 43 in the side of'thecylinder 41 at a point above the piston 40 is provided to permit leakage of air from above-the plston after it has depressedthe piston to cause the piston stem 39 to close the contacts a, and thus allow said piston to be returner by its spring to its normal liftedposition.

The contacts a of the green lightcircuit g are closed only when the circuit condition of the track circuit onthe train entering a block are at safety. And when thus closed the green light included in the circuit is active. The contacts I) inthe danger circuit 7* are controlled by the stem 22 of the piston 21, which when it moves downward'-as it does whenever the track circuit is not closed while the shoe '7 is passing over the ramp rail 5'to open the controlling valve 24, with consequent application of the train brakes, also operates to close the contacts 1' of the red light circuit 1" thus completing said circuit and consequently displaying the red light R. c

Having described our improvements and follows tuate said valve to open the purpose B is the battery; I

thebcst way nowlmown to us of carrying the same into practical efiect'we state in conclusion thatwe do not 'limitourselves narrowly to the specific details hereinbefore set forth in illustration of our-invention for manifestly the same can be'va'ried to some extent without departure from the spirit of the invention; but what we claim and desire to secureiby Letters Patent is as 1. Train stopping-"mechanism comprising a train pipe, a ventfrom pthe train pipe,

a normally closed valve controlling a port through which thetrain pipe communicates with said vent, a pipe leading from a compressed air reservoir on the locomotive and opening into the valve chambercontaining said valve, instrumentalities in said valve chamber adapted to be operated by the air pressure admitted through said pipe to acp'ort controlled by it, and a normally closed valve in said compressed air pipe controlling the admission of the air to said valve chamber, in combination withthe following instrumental-ities, namely: a track or signal battery;

, a working circuit therefrom; completed through contacts onthe locomotive and track respectively at the entrance to a block, and including a pair of normally open con tacts; a track signal and means. whereby 7 said normally open contacts are closed whenever and so long as the signal is at safety; a train stoppmg electro-magnet in said working circuit and located on the locomotive;

an air cylinder, and piston and means connected with said piston for operating the valve on the pipe admitting air to the vent controlling. valve of the train stopping, mechanism; a branch pipe leading from the compressed air reservoir to the air cylinder last named; a valve in said branch pipe controlled by said 'trainstopping electro-magnet, and acting whenever and so long as said magnet 1s energized to close said branchllO air pipe; a normally closed cock on said branch pipe between the saidelectro-magnetically controlled valve and reservoir; and means called into action by a passing train at the entrance to a block to momentarily 1 15 open said cock.

2. The combinationwith the subject matter of claim "1 of hand operated means whereby the controlling valve on the pipe conveying compressed air to thevalve chamber of the train stopping mechanism may be returned to closed position.

3. In combination with the subject matter of claim 1 a battery on the locomotive, two branch circuits therefrom completed each through a pair of normally open contacts and including the one a safety and the other a danger signal energized by the closing of the circuit in which it is included, and means whereby one or the other of said pairs of V v j'l' controls. the passage; v.of 7 air through the,

branch P1136 beteen the electrmally: *c0nl0 4.,The combination} of: elements specified V in" claim 1 :when;the means called; lnto acblon byfthe passlng tram: the entrance to I a block to: momentarily openthe cock which -udapted to be homel ltarily lifted by its, pas;

sage over the: mmp "1721,11; and "Qo'nneqtions between? said s1ide-andxcobkfon -said? branch pipe whereby ll lifting of, the; ShQQ: efiects the-,opepingof the-c0911. f

5. :Thgfcombinatio l with the 1381 of the 'la's tf preceding claim of means M whereby theair c901; sh gpll be automati'gzilly opened-in event of; the detachinenboi the ShOQfflfQlll themeans,whighgconnefi it ti) said air cock.

lntest imony whr eof we, 0111' sifgna- 1 t'ures.;

" PAR JAMESJVQ WILLIAMS, 7 

